


Of Cakes and Polaroids

by RedRose_HotChocolate



Category: Mamamoo, TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Bakery Shop Owner Park Jimin (BTS), Baking, Cake, Fluff, Jimin has trust issues but I mean who doesn't, Kim Taehyung is everyone's favourite customer, M/M, Minor Character(s), Park Jimin is everyone's favourite cake fairy, Photographer Kim Taehyung | V, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Sweet, Taehyung just wants to love you Jimin WHY WON'T YOU LET HIM??, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, polaroid camera
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27118538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRose_HotChocolate/pseuds/RedRose_HotChocolate
Summary: Jimin just wanted to bake a cake for his little brother's birthday. He didn't expect a ball of fluff to barge into his life, dragging along a very handsome owner who just wouldn't stop flirting with him.But hey, he's not complaining.
Relationships: Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin
Comments: 16
Kudos: 36





	1. Unexpected arrivals

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is my first ever fanfic. Please forgive any grammatical errors as english isn't my first language. I hope you enjoy!!

It was a quiet evening in the city of Seoul. People were strolling around wearing warm clothes, bracing themselves from the chill that September brought with it. The evening sun painted the city a pleasant orange. Everybody moved as though they had all the time in the world. All expect a certain pink haired man glancing out the window of a bakery and huffing a sigh of impatience.

Jimin taps his fingers on the counter, nibbling at his bottom lip. He looks up to glance at the time.

5:17 pm reads the clock over the door.

'There's not much time left. Ugh... can't this thing hurry?'. He glances at the bakery's entrance. No customers in sight as of now. He quickly slips inside to take a peek into the oven. 15 more minutes left.

He taps his feet on the ground, willing the time to go faster. But it almost seems to slow it down. 

'If only those two hadn't taken a leave today, I'd have gotten this done hours ago…' he curses at his employees.

He ultimately decides to get the icing ready by the time the cake is done. He gathers all the ingredients, adds them one by one into a bowl and starts mixing. He carries the bowl over with him to sit at the counter, just in case a customer shows up.

And sure enough, a few customers come by. He puts down the bowl and quickly attends to them. After the customers leave, he decides that he should close early. He pulls down the curtains of the large windows and turns over the open sign. He switches on the long overhead lights to brighten up the dull room.

'There…' he thinks. 'I'll be able to concentrate fully on Jungkookie's cake now'

He hears the ding of the oven and skips over to get the hot baked goodness outside. He lets it cool a bit as he prepares for his favourite part, the decoration.

He carries it over to the cafe area of the bakery to decorate. Careful hands cover the cake with icing, make pretty cream curls and patterns, then place juicy strawberries on top of it. For a while, he marvels at the strawberries and their juicy colour. They seem to be a very good batch even though it wasn't strawberry season yet. He smiles to himself and places them on the cake. He's almost done with the decoration when he hears a knock on the door.

"Are you already closed?? I just needed some bread". Ah, just another customer.

Jimin sighs and puts down his cone. He lets the customer in, "I closed early today, sir. But I'll get you the bread since you're already here. How much would you need?"

"2 loaves please"

He quickly shuffles inside to get the bread. Meanwhile, the customer seems to have spotted the cake.

"That's a pretty looking cake. Waiting for the customer to pick it up?"

"Ah no actually, it's for my brother. It's his birthday today."

"Oh Jungkook-ah! How old is he now? "He turned 21 today" "Waah he's a grown man already" 

"I know… It's hard to believe" he hands the bag containing the bread to the man.

The man pays him the money and turns to leave. "Well wish him for me, won't you?"

Jimin smiles sweetly "I will!"

He bows to the man and walks back to where the cake was. He leans on the table next to it and sighs to himself. The man walks out as the door of the bakery goes back to its closed position slowly, maybe too slowly. Jimin makes a note at the back of his mind to oil the door hinges tonight.

The door has yet to close halfway when he notices commotion on the opposite road. 'Huh? What's going on?'. He squinted to see why the people were moving away. He sees a tiny ball of brown fluff making its way through the people on the road… And heading straight towards him.

And before Jimin could react, the brown ball of fluff enters his bakery, jumps on him and makes him topple backwards which makes the one legged table to tilt and fall, which in turn makes the cake fall on the floor with a heart-wrenching SPLAT.

And Jimin sat there, cake smeared on his back and on the ground, with a dog licking at his face. 'Oh that was a dog…' he thinks belatedly.

He's still in a state of shock when a tall man rushes into the bakery, out of breath.

He takes one look at the mess and winces. "Oh nooo what did you do, Tannie?". The man quickly grabs his dog away from Jimin.

"I'm so so sorry…! Tannie is still learning instructions and doesn't know how to behave while walking. I'm really sorry, it's all my fault…!" He goes on apologizing while struggling to hold onto his restless dog. "Ahh really I let my grip loosen for just a second and he ran off so fast…!! I should have been more attentive. I-I'll pay for the cake right now…! Please…! How much was it?!" He shuffles to grab his purse from his jacket pocket.

Jimin blinks up at him. The man is looking at him with the same pleading eyes as his dog. He lets out a dry chuckle. What a joke. He squeezes the crumbs of the ruined cake under his hand. All his hard work is reduced to nothing and this guy has the audacity to offer money for it.

"You'll pay for it?" He asks. The man nods innocently. "Pay for what exactly, huh?" The man leans away, his eyes going wide. But Jimin continues, "What exactly are you paying for, sir? The ingredients? What about my time that just got wasted? What about all my effort that just got ruined, what about all those?!"

The man looked too shocked to say anything. Jimin scoffs and tries to get up. The man lurches forward to help him.

"I'm… really sorry, I didn't mean-"

He snatches his hand away. "Just go. I don't want anything from you. Leave" He gets up and turns away from the man, too frustrated to even look at him. He sees the mess of a cake on the floor and feels like crying a little.

The man just stands there with his head bowed down and his dog sitting quietly, looking between them.

'Why won't he just leave?' Jimin stomps his foot and runs a hand through his hair. "He'll be here soon. What a great birthday this turned out to be" he mumbles to himself.

"I'll help you bake another cake!"

Jimin jolts at the sudden outburst of the man. "What?" 

"I'll help you make another! We'll bake another one by the time your… uh, boyfriend...?" The man trails off. "My brother, I don't have-" Jimin cuts himself off. Why is he telling this to a stranger?

"Ah sorry, but we can get it done before he gets here!" "Wait, why would I want any help from you? I don't even know you!"

The man folds his hands and almost begs him now, "It's the least I could do if you're not going to take my money, please!". Ugh, this guy is being way too persistent. Should he kick him out?

The man seems to see the doubt in his face. "Tann-ah say sorry. Go go…" he whistles at his dog. The dog quickly gets down on its front paws, face on the ground and wags its tail. Jimin tries really hard not to melt at the cuteness. He glares at the man who seems happy that his plan worked.

Jimin eyes him from head to toe. The man is trying his best to give him puppy eyes and… he hates to admit it but it's kind of cute. He quickly brushes away the thought. He's not going to be weakened by a pretty face. 'He seems sincere enough though…'

He turns to face the man fully, who immediately backs away as if Jimin was going to yell at him again.

"Fine, I could use some help. But if you try anything weird then just know that I have the police on speed dial." He takes his phone out of his apron pocket and waves it at the man to emphasise.

"You won't need that. I promise." He places a hand on his chest and looks at him with what Jimin assumes to be his 'determined' face. It almost makes him chuckle. Almost.

His phone vibrates. A message from Jungkook.

> _Kookie🐰:_
> 
> _Hyung I'm gonna be a bit late_
> 
> _Jun wants a bday treat so we're going out_
> 
> _Won't take long though_

  
  


'God bless the Jun kid' he sighs to himself. "I guess we have a little more time now, but it's better to make a simpler cake." He mumbles. He looks up at the man again. "Clean this mess up while I make the batter, please." He points towards the corner where the broom and mop lay. The man nods and runs to grab it.

He fumbles around a bit. It looks like he's struggling to use the broom because of his long coat. "Uh… y-you can put the coat there." Now that he's calmed down a bit, he feels weird ordering a stranger around.

The man makes a sound of exclamation and goes to take off his long brown coat. Jimin's eyes follow him as he folds it up. 'Nice outfit. Simple,' he thinks absentmindedly. The man decides to put the coat on a seat and make his dog sleep on it, hooking the dog leash to the chair leg. 'But he looks rather put together', He wonders if he could pull off that grey shirt and white pants combo. He finally realises that he was staring. The man was shifting awkwardly under his gaze, cheeks a subtle shade of pink.

He clears his throat. "W-won't the dog try to run around?" "Ah don't worry. He usually likes going to sleep on my clothes so… I think he'll fall asleep soon." "Hmm… Alright then, I'll go start with the baking. Finish the cleaning in the meantime."

Jimin gets into the bakery and starts up a quicker recipe. He picks out whatever he needs, sets the oven to preheat, mixes the ingredients vigorously and pours them into the cake pan. He hears a knock on the bakery window that overlooks the counter.

The man is stretching over the counter and speaking in an animated way. "I'm done with the cleaning. Do you need any help there?" voice muffled from the wall between them. Jimin contemplates for a few seconds. He finds that the floor was clean and shiny. "Uh sure… I guess. Just enter from over there" he points at the door to the left of the counter.

The man climbs over the counter and gets in. He looks around the bakery, wide eyed and mouth open. A look of curious wonder washes over his face as he takes in the sight of the neatly arranged sacks of ingredients, shelves, utensils and machines. Jimin chuckles, "What? Haven't been inside a bakery before?"

The man shrugs, "Nope, this is my first one. I've only ever seen it on baking shows" "I hope you're not too disappointed then." "What? No…! This is very cute. It looks so neat."

That makes Jimin smile, "Thanks…". The man gives him a wide boxy smile and Jimin thinks that it's very pretty. He catches himself before his mind goes any further and immediately dismisses the thought.

"Right um… could you hold this for me please?" He gives him the tray with the pans containing the cake batter and moves toward the oven. The man follows him silently. He puts on gloves, takes the tray from his hand and puts it into the oven. He sets the timer for 20 minutes and returns to his work station.

He takes out more strawberries and starts slicing them one by one. He could feel a pair of eyes watching him as he sliced away.

"Those look really good. But it's not strawberry season yet, right?" He hears the man ask. "No, this is from my mother's garden. I dunno how but she manages to grow them early." some secret magic, he thinks. "They do look delicious though" the deep voice chimes in.

"Mhmm, they are." He glances to his side to see the man intently looking at the strawberries. His dark hair had gotten fluffier, probably from the change in humidity. He looks soft. And like he was trying really hard not to reach out and grab a strawberry.

"Would you like one?" Jimin holds out a strawberry for him. The man looks mortified at being caught. "No no! I was just looking." "It's ok, have one. Just don't eat any while you cut them." He passes the strawberry and the knife into his hand and moves to make the icing.

An awkward silence falls between them, only the sounds of chopping and whisking filling up the space. Jimin can feel himself getting self conscious from time to time, like someone was watching him. He shrugs if off and continues to make the icing the perfect shade of pink.

The oven dings and Jimin quickly takes out the cake pans and puts them in the freezer to cool down faster. He turns around to see that the man was done with chopping the strawberries and standing there looking at his toes, not knowing what to do next.

It's silent again. Jimin feels weird. He's making a complete stranger work for him. For free. He feels guilt settling into his guts. "Sorry about before," he starts after a while. The man looks up, not expecting an apology. "I wasn't having a good day and I took it out on you. Sorry"

The man shakes his head "You had all the right to be angry!! I should have been more careful. It's my mistake...". Jimin sighs and dismisses the topic.

Another stretch of silence. The man looks around, trying to avoid eye contact. Jimin scraps his foot on the granite floor.

"I'm Jimin by the way. Park Jimin" he looks up at the man to see his reaction. He looks startled for a second, but it quickly turns into a smile. "I'm Kim Taehyung."

'Pretty' he thinks. He quickly straightens up. "The cake must have cooled down by now!" he announces to no one in particular and rushes to grab it.

He puts the cake down on the workstation and starts decorating it with cream and strawberry slices. All the while, he can feel the man, Kim Taehyung, watching him. But he didn't have time to worry about that. He concentrated on the task at hand, turning his cone, placing strawberries and checking for any errors.

He finally straightens up and sighs, satisfied. 'Looks good' he thinks.

"Can I take a picture?"

Taehyung is looking at him with the same wide puppy eyes from before. And it seems to be getting effective. Jimin looks away to say a quick 'sure' and the man is rushing out the bakery to get his camera.

He comes back with a polaroid camera in his hands. Jimin is a little surprised but he moves away so that he can take a picture. The man smiles at him sheepishly and snaps a picture of the cake. 

He waves the picture around until it develops and smiles at the result. "Actually," he says without looking at Jimin. "I wanted to take a picture of you with the cake."

"What?"

"Y-you can keep the picture! It's just that… the white walls and the pink cake and your pink hair look really cute right now so…I think it'll look really nice in a picture"

Jimin blushes a little. He definitely didn't expect that. But he's curious about what the man sees that is so appealing to him. "Ah ok… Sure"

"Really?!" Taehyung's face lights up. Jimin nods and flattens his hair into place, trying to make himself presentable for a picture.

He stands next to the cake… And doesn't know what to do with his hands. "What do you want me to do?" He fumbles with a loose strand on his apron.

With the camera already close to his eyes, Taehyung motions with his hands, "Just stand next to the cake and smile at me! Make a victory sign if you want!". Jimin does what he says and places a V sign near his eyes and smiles.

*Click*. The camera shutter sounds and Jimin thinks that the turn of events is rather amusing. A few moments ago he was ready to slap the man and here he was, letting him take a picture of him because he thought the aesthetics were pleasing.

"There… beautiful" he says as the photo develops. Jimin would deny ever blushing at that comment.

He hands him the picture. "Here you go…" he almost seems unwilling to part with it. Jimin looks at it and thinks that yes, it did look very aesthetic-y and cute. He feels… cute. "Thanks…" he says softly, eyes not meeting Taehyung's.

The entrance bell rings.

They both turn to look at the door and see someone entering.

"I'm home…! Are you upstairs, hyung??" Jungkook shouts as he enters the bakery and stretches out with a loud grunt.

"Ah Jungkookie…!" Jimin rushes out to greet his brother. Taehyung follows behind.

"Oh hyung, there's a dog here!! Aww hey there little guy...!" he crouches in front of the dog that was slowly waking up from its nap.

"His name is Yeontan." Taehyung says. The dog wakes up when he hears his voice and runs towards him. He quickly grabs his coat and bows at Jungkook. 

"I'll be off then," he says and turns towards Jimin, "Sorry for the inconvenience. Goodnight!".

He rushes towards the exit but turns around to say "Happy Birthday to you, by the way! Have a good one!!" "Oh! Thank you, Hope you have a good day too!" Jungkook bows to him politely. "H-hey wai-" Jimin wants to say something, but the man is already out of the door with his dog pulling him along.

"Was that a customer? He seemed new…" Jungkook asks after a while, confused. "He didn't look like he bought anything either… Oh what's that in your hand?". Jimin realises that he's still holding onto the polaroid. He looks up at Jungkook and sighs, 

"It's a long story…". Jungkook just raises an eyebrow at him questioningly. "I'll tell you after you change out of your stinky clothes. Go quick! You want your birthday cake, don't you?"

"Aww hyung made a cake for me?"

"I bake you a cake every year!!"

They laugh as Jimin ushers him upstairs and into his room.

He looks at the photo in his hand. 'Today was quite an eventful day…' he shakes his head and places the photo on his dressing table. He makes his way downstairs to celebrate his brother's birthday.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  


It's been a few days and Jimin has promptly forgotten about the man and his dog that made a mess in his bakery.

This morning, the bakery is bustling with quite a few customers. He's inside managing the baking with Wheein, one of his employees, while Hyejin, his other employee, takes care of the customers' orders outside.

He's just whipped out a fresh batch of biscuits from the oven when Hyejin pops her head inside, "Uh Jimin-shi, there's someone wanting to see you… Says he came to pay for a cake from 4 days ago." 

"A cake from 4 days ago? There's no orders left unpaid…"

"Yeah, I told him that we don't take orders without prior payment and he might have mistaken… but he insists on seeing you."

Jimin glances towards Wheein with an enquiring look. "Go ahead, I can manage for a few minutes" she gives him a thumbs up and proceeds to wipe the flour off of her forehead and roll up her sleeves.

Jimin makes his way out to clarify the situation with the person when he spots who it actually is. A familiar mop of fluffy hair peeking out from a beanie, and the same brown coat, now paired with glasses.

"Kim Taehyung-shi!" He quickly walks towards where he's standing.

Taehyung turns and flashes him the brightest smile he's ever seen. Jimin feels like squinting. "Jimin-shi, sorry to call you out on a busy day… but I remembered that I didn't pay for the cake that Tannie ruined." He scratches his neck and looks down, still embarrassed about the incident. Jimin looks down too to see if the dog was there. He hears Taehyung chuckle. "No… I didn't bring him today, didn't want to cause another mess."

He shuffles through his coat pocket and pulls out his wallet. "How much should I pay?" He asks, looking at Jimin. Jimin's eyes go wide and he waves his hands out in front of him. "No no there's no need…! You helped me make another cake! That's enough payment." "That's nonsense! I still have to pay!!" "No really-"

"Come on Jimin-shi." Taehyung pouts at him and Jimin immediately forgets what he was about to say. "Are you still mad at me about the incident?" He tilts his head and leans on the counter.

Jimin feels his ears getting red and glances to his side. The customers are looking over, curious about the conversation. Hyejin seems to be throwing a questioning glance at him, silently asking if he needs assistance.

Jimin sucks in a breath and turns back to Taehyung, who's smiling at him innocently. "Ok, you can pay. But only if you'll take something from the bakery! I can't just accept money and give you nothing."

"Sure! I've been meaning to try something anyway! What would you suggest?" Taehyung shifts his gaze to the baked goodies inside the display rack next to the counter.

Jimin lets out a breath and moves to point at the items. "You can try our cookies or our pastries. There's some cupcakes too if you'd like. We have macaroons too-" "I think I'll have the cupcakes!" "Okay! One box of cupcakes… Anything else?" "Hmm, that's enough for today."

Jimin goes inside to pack the box of cupcakes. He packs them neatly, careful not to spoil the decorations on them. Wheein looks up at him, "Everything good?" "Yeah it's good, don't worry." He nods at her. She goes back to decorating a cake. He goes out and hands the box over to Taehyung who has the amount already ready in his hands. He immediately takes the box from Jimin and shoves the money into his hand.

Before Jimin could count the amount, he unboxes the cupcake and takes out the one with pink frosting on it. "This looks like you, Jimin-shi!" he giggles holding the cupcake next to Jimin's head. Jimin laughs with him. Oddly enough, it does look like him. What with his pink hair and the cream shirt that he's wearing today. "You could say so…" he shakes his head in amusement.

Taehyung takes it back and admires it for a moment before putting it back in the box. "I'll be off then, have a good morning!" He bows a little and skips out the door.

Jimin watches him go, unaware of the smile still on his face. He's completely forgotten about the money in his hand until Hyejin points it out. "I think he paid more than what the cupcakes and the cake cost."

Sure enough, he'd paid for the cupcakes as well as the cake, and a little bit more!

Jimin lets out an 'oh'. He hums in thought and puts the money inside. Hopefully Taehyung will be back another day and he can make it up to him.

He hopes he can see Taehyung again.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Taehyung does show up again.

And again.

And again and again.

He's become so much of a regular that Jimin is starting to expect him every other day. Taehyung arrives, asks to see Jimin, has a chat with him and leaves with a bag of baked items. That's how it usually goes. Sometimes he'd show up a few minutes before closing since there wouldn't be any rush and Jimin could chat freely. 

Jimin would always sneak in an extra item to compensate for the money from before, but really, he just wants an excuse to add an extra item at this point.

Jimin enjoys it really. It's nice to have someone to chat with. He often looks forward to Taehyung's visits, his silly face and cheerful personality brightening up his days. He likes seeing Taehyung's surprised face turn into mock annoyance when he finds the extra item yet again in his bag. It's quite entertaining.

Taehyung's visits started out with 'I was just passing by and thought I'd say hello' to 'I felt like having that pastry today, so I'm here!' and turn into 'I wanted to see you today, Jimin-shi'.

And Jimin doesn't see anything wrong with that. That's normal. It's how any normal acquaintanceship grows. It's totally normal! But his brother and his co-workers think otherwise.

"Hyung, he has a crush on you!" Jungkook shouts at him after another visit from Taehyung. Jimin promptly blushes and punches him in the arm. "No he does not! He's just being nice. And stop screaming, what if he heard?!".

"Jimin-shi… you're really dense sometimes, you know?" Hyejin pipes in from inside the bakery, scrubbing at trays and spoons. Jimin makes an offended face.

He hears a huff from the tables. "Yeah Jimin-shi, a blind man can see the heart eyes he's throwing at you. And he's always asking for you!" Wheein stops sweeping and looks at him with an exhausted face. "I flirt with him every time, just to prove to you that he's into you. He just laughs at all my lines and then asks for YOU. How can you still not see?!" She pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs a long sigh.

Jimin rolls his eyes, 'Dramatic'.

"You're all just over analysing this. I'm sure he's only being nice."

"Then how about a dare, hyung?" Jungkook looks up from checking the supply list, a look of predatory determination in his doe eyes. Jimin doesn't know why he's scared. "I do not want to do any sort of dare-" "Come on, hyung. I'll do the cooking and dishes for a week if I lose."

"What if you win?" Wheein sounds way too interested in this, Jimin thinks. Hyejin has also come out to witness the challenge being laid out.

"If I win, then seeing hyung's shocked and flustered face will be enough of a pay for me." Hyejin let's out an 'oooh' and Wheein pat's Jimin's back mockingly like he's already lost the dare.

Jimin doesn't want to do this. But that offer is tempting. Besides, he's almost certain they're all wrong. And he has literally nothing to lose.

"... Fine. What is your dare?"

He regrets the words the moment they are out of his mouth because the look on their faces is chilling.

"I want you…" he pauses for suspense. Wheein and Hyejin lean in. "...to flirt back at Taehyung-shi." Gasps echo around the bakery. "And if he has any reaction… any reaction like blushing or stuttering! Even running out of the bakery! Consider you've lost the best Jimin-SHIII…!" He ends it by slamming his fist on the display rack.

Jimin lets out a choked laugh. "Hah.. Haha sure…" Why is he suddenly unsure? "I'll do it the next time he visits."

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


This is the first time he's ever wished for Taehyung to not visit. Jungkook is back from classes fairly early today and he's been reminding him of the dare ever since. Wheein and Hyejin keep glancing out the windows. And Jimin is sweating. Maybe he should turn the room heater down.

He hears Wheein gasp. "He's coming" she whispers at the others and grins at Jimin. Jimin looks out the window and sees the person he's been dreading about all day. He has a bounce in his step and it's a sweet sight but Jimin is in no state of mind to admire.

"You get inside. I'll chat with him first." Wheein pushes him inside. "Why? What are you trying to-" "Aww, are you jealous already?" Jimin shuts up and immediately turns away. He hears her snickering.

The bell at the entrance rings and Jimin feels a chill run down his spine.

"Aah Taehyung-shi! So nice to see you today!"

"Nice to see you too, Wheein-shi"

"You look handsome as always, Taehyung-shi. How about a coffee this weekend, hmm?" Jimin chokes at how forward that was. But Taehyung sounds unfazed.

"Haha, I don't drink coffee Wheein-shi". He sounds rather amused.

"Aww that's too bad. But won't you go on a date with me? I'm quite the catch, aren't I?" Hyejin let's out a snort. Taehyung chuckles, but nods in agreement.

"You're really pretty Wheein-shi, but I have someone else in mind..."

Wheein drops her voice to an unimpressed tone. "Right… you're here to see Jimin." Said Jimin feels his whole face heat up with embarrassment. He doesn't hear Taehyung deny it either. Suddenly the dare feels like a huge mistake.

"I should have known. Oh well, I tried" she shrugs and turns toward the bakery entrance. In the most nauseating sweet voice she calls out "Jimin-shiii~". She flutters her eyes at him.

"That's your cue, hyung"

"Good luck, Jimin-shi. Don't chicken out"

He glares at them and drags himself out.

"I'll give you two some privacy..." Wheein says and winks at Jimin as she makes her way in.

Jimin tries his best not to swear at her.

"Jimin-shi…!" He hears Taehyung's sweet voice call out to him. He also hears the snickering and the shushing coming from inside the bakery.

"It's always so nice to see you…" Taehyung continues.

"Yeah?" Jimin asks rather dumbly.

"Mhmm… talking to you always makes my day so much more fun, you know?" He leans on the counter. Jimin feels like stepping away but he stays rooted to the spot. "I always look forward to seeing you, talking to you… And your cute trick of sneaking a bonus goodie into my bag! When will you stop that Jimin-shi?!"

Jimin genuinely laughs at that. "I'll think about it. So, the usual today?"

"Oh yes, I'm dying for some Jimin cupcakes." He smiles, chin resting on his palm.

Jimin coughs and quickly makes his way inside to get it packed. "What are you doing? Do something, you spineless fool!" Jungkook hisses at him as soon as he enters. "Ssh shut up!! I'm thinking… I'll do something, ok?" He quickly finishes up packing and rushes out.

Taehyung is waiting patiently, as always. Jimin smiles and hands him the package. Their fingers graze for a moment and he feels Taehyung flinch. Jimin is reminded of his mission now. He has a point to prove.

"Taehyung-shi…"

"Hmm?" Wide eyes and innocent smile face him.

"You look good in that sweater."

He hears a forehead being smacked from behind. But Taehyung seems to be having a hard time making a sentence.

"Aah… Haha t-this?? I uh.. got it during a sal-"

"You look pretty in green"

"What-"

"I think you look pretty, Taehyung-shi"

Silence. And slowly Taehyung's face starts gaining a shade of pink. His ears are getting pink too. Jimin finds it… fascinating. He could watch this all day.

"Ooh… Haha um thanks… I uh…" he's looking everywhere but at Jimin but all Jimin wants is to see his blushing face again.

"Um I just remembered…" he clears his throat and tries making eye contact, but fails. "I need to wash my Tannie… I mean bathe my dog… That is… Tannie. I'll see you again, bye!!" Taehyung bows low and quickly walks out the door.

Jimin stands there for a while, contemplating the events in absolute disbelief.

  
  


He neither hears the wolf whistles coming from behind him, nor feels the jabs at his sides that follow.

  
  


He just feels uncertainty.

  
  


He hopes he didn't scare him away…

  
  
  


\---*---


	2. Pitter patter of the rain, Pitter patter of my heart

Taehyung hasn't visited in days.

Honestly, it's driving Jimin insane. Did he really go too far that day? Maybe he really was being nice and everybody misread him. Maybe he shouldn't have listened to his stupid co-workers. Maybe he's the stupid one for taking up that bet. Maybe-

He feels a sharp knock on the back of his head. "Jimin-shi, stop overthinking!" he hears Wheein say. "He's probably busy with something." 

Jimin feels his cheeks heat up. "What? I wasn't thinking about Taehyung." 

"Right, you're just admiring that traffic sign on the other side of the road."

"I was just looking out the window! Why can't I just look out the window and admire-"

The bell rings. Wheein quickly puts on a professional face and bows at the customer. As she attends to the man, Jimin pulls at his long sleeves, a bit agitated.

And what if he does show up again? What then? Will he go back to flirting again or completely ignore everything that happened? Or maybe… he might ask him…

No… They're practically strangers. He won't go that far.

Jimin's not ready for that…

Well, maybe if they get to know each other. Maybe. 

He is kinda cute. His inner voice supplies the word 'hot' but he ignores it. 

He's not going to get his hopes up though. That's not good. That's never good.

He leans his chin on his clothed hand, turning towards the window... and quickly turns back after realising it. He slowly glances towards Wheein only to see that she's already giving him a knowing look.

After the customer is gone, Wheein imitates his pose, albeit rather exaggeratedly, looking out the window and sighing with a ridiculous expression.

"That traffic sign looks exceptionally pretty today huh, Jimin-shi?"

"Stop…"

"Oh, how dashing! How tall…!"

"I swear, Wheein-"

"Your traffic sign is crossing over…"

"Hey, If you don't shut up- wait what?"

He turns around just in time to see Taehyung walk into the bakery. They lock eyes for a few seconds. He hears bells. 'It's the door' he chides himself. Jimin looks on as Taehyung goes pink, averts his eyes with a shy smile. 

That was odd. He'd expected a bright smile and crescent eyes. But Taehyung looks very small and bashful right now. The big grey hoodie he's wearing is making him look even smaller. He looks away too, not really sure why. Something feels weird in his chest.

Taehyung stops right in front of him, crosses his arms over his chest and leans on the counter, looking a bit more composed. He just stares at him with a look that Jimin can't really bring himself to read. He finally decides to make eye contact and clears his suddenly dry throat. 

Taehyung just chuckles at him, his cheeks still a wonderful pink and Jimin kinda wants to pinch them. "Hi".

(He fights away the tiny voice inside his head that is screaming about missing Taehyung's low timber)

"Hi…" he couldn't help the shy smile that took over his lips. He sees Wheein silently slip inside from the corner of his eyes.

Taehyung is looking at him, all smiles. "I missed you…"

That takes him off guard. His mind is racing with questions. What exactly does he mean? How exactly does he miss him? So he opens his mouth and utters rather eloquently:

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm…" Taehyung hums and Jimin idly wonders if he sings. He has a voice for it. His thoughts are interrupted by Taehyung's words, "Did you miss me too?"

"Hmm…"Jimin looks away, not having the guts to admit it or lie to his face about it. Maybe he should change the topic. He points at the display, "Cupcakes?"

"Come on, tell me you missed me" Taehyung raises his eyebrow smugly.

Jimin rolls his eyes. He's not going to admit it now. He moves to go inside to pack Taehyung's order that he knows so well now. Taehyung follows him along the display rack and stops in front of the entrance door.

Jimin can't help himself though. He's a bit curious. Why didn't he pay a visit for so long? What kind of work was he busy with? He mulls over the question for a while as he packs and eventually decides to ask.

"… Didn't see you around for a few days… Work got you busy?"

"So you did miss me!!" Taehyung bounces a bit with triumph. Jimin gives up.

"Ugh Fine!! I did miss your silly face" he comes back to the front and huffs in mock annoyance.

"But you called this face pretty last time…" Taehyung wiggles his eyebrows, framing his face with his hands.

"Ughhhh stop" he hides his embarrassed face behind the bag he just packed. Taehyung laughs and decides to spare him for now.

"Yeah, I got busy with a big thing. A wedding."

  
  


...What?

  
  


"A wedDing?" He didn't mean for his voice to crack like that. But it seems like Taehyung didn't notice.

"Yeah! The theme was so cute! Very good for taking pictures! I got some really nice shots that day. The couple were pretty pleased with them. Editing those pictures and printing them out took quite a while so I got busy."

"Aah. Haha. That's nice…" Why did he suddenly panic? Stop overthinking, Jimin.

Taehyung hums thoughtfully. He meets Jimin's eyes again. "There were cupcakes there too. Reminded me of you."

"Oh… I see." Now why did that just give him butterflies?

"Mhmm. They weren't as good as these though!" he takes the bag from Jimin's hand and smiles widely, paying the amount.

"I have to rush. Got a few more errands to run. It's just that… you're so distracting Jimin-shi. I almost forgot about them." he winks and walks towards the door. Jimin feels a tickling sensation in his chest.

"I'll see you soon. Don't miss me too much!" and just like that, he leaves Jimin giggling and waving at him.

Jimin watches his receding figure for a while. 'Such a strange guy…'

He takes in a deep, satisfied breath.

"Wow… remembering you at a wedding? How romantic, ugh! You've hit the jackpot Jimin-shi…!!"

He turns to see both Wheein and Hyejin making mushy faces at him.

He rolls his eyes at them.

  
  


He's just glad that Taehyung visited again.

  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  


Turns out, Taehyung isn't entirely a stranger.

Jungkook, who had gotten quite comfortable with Taehyung, was complaining about his History of Arts teacher to him that afternoon. He was whining about how Miss Yongsun refused to let him in because he was just 2 minutes late when Taehyung piped in and asked if it was the same Miss Yongsun he knew.

Jimin finds out then, that Jungkook's closest friend 'Junie' was Taehyung's little brother.

"Wait, you mean Choi Yeonjun is your little brother? No wonder you looked so familiar, Taehyung-shi!"

"Yes! I'm surprised I didn't recognise you either! I swear I've seen a bunch of pictures of you on Jun's Insta."

"Waah… such a small world, right Jiminie hyung? All this time Junie and Kim Taehyung-shi-" he stops as if he just realised something.

"Wait, but your surname is Kim…?" Jungkook asks and Jimin hisses to himself. That's not something to ask so directly, Kookie!

"Ah haha… he's my step brother. We decided to keep our fathers' surnames." That's good… He didn't seem uncomfortable. Seems like he expected that comment.

"Oh! That makes sense. Me and Jiminie hyung have different surnames too! Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin…!"

Jimin huffs. Well Jungkookie is excited to find someone who relates. He can't really blame him.

"So you're step brothers too?" He suddenly feels a sour taste in his mouth.

"No we're-"

"Jungkookie and I are brothers by blood. It's complicated." He interrupts before Jungkook can explain. 

A beat of silence.

Jungkook is looking at him wide eyed and worried, chewing the inside of his cheek while Taehyung looks a bit embarrassed about asking the question. But Jimin just walks away. He doesn't really wanna talk about his family with someone else.

The conversation comes to an abrupt halt, an air of awkwardness taking over. Taehyung seems to understand though, quickly changing the topic and going back to chatting with Jungkook. Jimin is thankful for that.

  
  


\-----

  
  


It's awkward now. Taehyung can't meet eyes with him anymore. He doesn't even talk to him much and he hasn't visited either!

It's like he's avoiding him on purpose this time. Jimin huffs angrily. Well, what else was he supposed to do? Chat about his sad, broken family with a (not) stranger over coffee and cookies?

  
  


"Hey, Jimin… you ok?" Hyejin asks softly, bringing Jimin out of his thoughts.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit…distracted" he pushes his hair out of his face and sighs.

"You've been out of it for a few days now… Did something happen?"

"No… Not really." Another sigh. He looks down at his poorly whipped bowl of cream. He gets back to whipping it to avoid any more questions.

Hyejin just stares at him. He isn't going to be able to brush this off, is he? He puts down the bowl.

"Well, maybe I was a bit cold towards Taehyung…"

"Taehyung...? Why?"

"He… kinda asked about our family situation? And I pushed him away pretty rudely." He rubs the back of his neck, guilt taking over as he recalls the conversation. "I dunno it was just… I didn't want to talk about it then. But I feel bad now?"

"Hmm…" Hyejin hums and settles next to him. Wheein joining behind.

"I mean, I get it. You don't like talking about it with anyone." 

"It took you almost a year to open up to us about it." Wheein chimes in.

"Yeah, But he seems like he genuinely wants to know more about you…" "That's what I felt too, Jimin-shi"

Jimin looks up at them, his co-workers and good friends of over 2 years. They're looking at him with eyes full of love and hope. 

And he thinks, maybe they're right?

"I guess so…"

"And given the fact that he's got a similar situation going on… I feel like he might understand you better"

That's true.

"At the very least, you two can be good friends Jimin-shi"

Jimin chuckles to himself. Wheein and Hyejin clearly have a soft spot for Taehyung.

He smiles at them as a promise to think about it.

  
  


\-----

  
  


Later during dinner, Jungkook brings it up too. They're sitting opposite each other at the table in their little kitchen. Food is arranged all over the table, but Jungkook is barely eating. Jimin looks at him and makes a sound, gesturing at him to start eating.

"Hyung, are you scared?" He asks, fiddling with his food.

Jimin wipes at his mouth, "Huh? About what?"

"You know, about getting closer to Taehyung?"

Ah. That.

"No… It's just…"

'I might be. I'm not sure myself.'

"I don't know him very well" he taps his chopsticks on his plate, placing his chin on his palm and idly looking at the wall next to him.

"Hyung you don't have to worry, now that we know that he's actually Yeonjun's brother, I think we can trust him!" Jungkook says, voice full of excitement and hope. "You know Yeonjun has been my best friend since the start of college, right? I'm sure Taehyung-shi is actually nice..."

"Hmm…" Jimin continues to munch on his food and mull over his brother's words. He thinks back to the last time he'd let himself get attached to someone. He scoffs at the unpleasant memory and shoves more food into his mouth, trying to ignore the emptiness in his chest.

  
  
  
  


\-----

  
  
  
  


'The clouds seem angry today…' Jimin thinks, looking out the window as he put the cash away. A rumble of thunder seems to roll by just to confirm his suspicions.

'I should let the others go home before they get stuck in the storm' he thinks to himself. He looks up at the wall clock. 6:17 pm. That's good enough. He peeks inside the bakery and calls out to the others.

"Wheein-shi, Hyejin-shi! You both should go home early today. Seems like there's gonna be a storm."

"We haven't cleaned up yet!" The two protest.

"Don't worry, Jungkook and I will manage today."

"Yeah Noona, it looks pretty scary. You should hurry up!" 

The clouds continue to rumble as if giving a warning. After much persuasion, the two workers leave for the day, thanking Jimin for letting them off early. Just a few minutes after they leave, the sky opens and the rain pours, getting stronger and stronger as time goes by.

Jimin watches the rain as he mops the floor of the bakery. It's loud and noisy but something about it is calming. He gets a bit lost in the sight of it all. The force of the raindrops visible even through the darkness, the sound of its rapping on the glass, and people scurrying over back home for shelter. He takes a deep breath, savoring the damp smell of the weather.

"Hyung, I'm done with washing the utensils! You're still not finished?"

Jungkook's voice brings Jimin out of the trance that the rain had put him in. He looks down and realises that he hadn't gotten any work done.

"Want me to do it for you, hyung?"

"Ah no, you go ahead and study. I'll finish this up myself."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure, go" Jimin waves at him to get going. Jungkook gives him a worried look and leaves.

Jimin gets back to mopping and occasionally stopping to watch the rain.

'I wonder if Taehyung was going to visit today if it wasn't for the unfavorable weather…'

He brushes off the thought. He's probably home already.

He turns over the sign on the door. He goes on to pull the curtains down one by one. The sky rumbles again. Wait. There was another sound. Was that a knock on the door?

*Knock knock knock*

He hears it much clearer now. Is there someone at the door? He lets go of the curtains and rushes over to see if anyone wants to get in for shelter.

And there's Taehyung, holding just an umbrella, knocking at the door sheepishly. His normally fluffy hair looks damp from the rain and he pulls his long coat up to his ears to shield himself as much as possible. He looks wet, cold and tired.

Jimin freezes, taken aback by the sudden appearance, not really knowing what to do. The very man he was thinking about just appeared in front of him, this is just too good of a coincidence.

A sudden clap of thunder and lightning jolts both of them out of their skin. Jimin finally notices that Taehyung is shivering.

"Shit Taehyung! Get in, get in!!" He opens the door and vigorously motions at him to enter.

Taehyung hurriedly walks in and shakes off the umbrella at the door. "This s-storm doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon… Would you mind if I stay until it slows d-down?" He says through chattering teeth.

"Of course not! You're shivering…! Stay as long as you want!" He takes a piece of cloth from inside the bakery and hands it to him to wipe himself dry.

Taehyung puts down the umbrella and his bag, accepting the towel immediately. "Thank you… I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, you definitely aren't. It's good you came here. You'd surely get sick in such a storm." He points at the rain and shivers just at the thought of being stuck out during this time.

"Aww, thank you for worrying about me Jimin-shi" he's smiling that big smile that Jimin has always found himself looking forward to these days. A warmth fills up his chest. But it seems like Taehyung is still not warm enough, rubbing his hands together as he smiled at him.

"I'll turn up the room heater" he excuses himself before the warmth in his chest could rise up to his cheeks.

He hears Taehyung laugh and settle down next to the window. Jimin pretends to ignore it and continues closing up. 

"... What are you doing out in this storm?"he asks, turning off the excessive lights and switching on the ones closest to Taehyung. 

"I got late at a shoot and couldn't catch a cab because of the rain…" Taehyung rubs his arms trying to get warm faster.

"So you decided to walk in the rain?"

"Well, I didn't expect it to get this bad…" Taehyung sounds like a scolded kid. Jimin hides a smile as he puts away the mops.

He leaves one of the curtains close to him up. He turns to see that Taehyung is opening his laptop.

"Oh, working?"

"Yeah, since I'm gonna be stuck for a while… I might as well, right?" He shrugs. The awkwardness from their previous encounters start settling in as the silence creeps in.

"That's a good idea… I'll get you something warm to drink." Jimin suddenly feels the need to hide because it's weird now. (Definitely not the urge to keep Taehyung warm.)

Taehyung tries to decline, waving his hand in front of him. "No no there's no need-"

"Hush! It'll help you warm up faster" Jimin is already making his way across the counter and display rack, going up the flight of stairs hidden behind the dark curtain at the corner of the bakery.

He makes his way through the hall, walking towards the kitchen. He peeks inside Jungkook's room to check up on him. As usual, Jungkook was lying on his bed, completely engrossed in the book he was reading.

"Jungkook-ah sit up straight and study, will you?"

Jungkook startles and almost drops the book on his face. "What the- Hyung you scared the shit out of me! Give me a warning first, please!"

"Sorry sorry," he laughs, "I was just going to make some coffee. Do you want some?"

"Nah, I think I'll have hot chocolate" 

"Ok, I'll be right back"

Jimin makes coffee for himself and Taehyung and hot chocolate for Jungkook. Suddenly, he recalls the old conversation between Wheein and Taehyung. 

_"I don't really drink coffee…"_

He thinks for a while and shrugs. 'He was probably joking with Wheein…' and adds another cube of sugar into Taehyung's coffee. 'He seems like the type to drink it extra sweetened'.

He gives Jungkook the hot chocolate and ruffles his hair to annoy him. He grabs a blanket from his room, spares a glance at himself in the mirror and makes his way downstairs again with two cups of coffee. Taehyung smiles up at him when he sees him arrive. "This really wasn't necessary Jimin-shi…"

"It's nothing, I made it extra sweet for you just in case." He hands him the coffee and the blanket.

"Ah thank you…!" Taehyung drapes the blanket over himself and accepts the coffee, takes a tentative sip and sighs. That's enough reassurance for Jimin to settle down on the seat next to him, a bit curious now about his work.

"What are you working on?" He asks, wanting to make some conversation and get over this weirdness between them.

Taehyung lights up at that and sets down his coffee mug to explain. "Oh, it's these photos that I took a few days ago… it's for an ad"

"Ooh… they look really good." Jimin says as he looks at pictures of the pretty model posing with a watch. The ambience of the picture looks very unique and mysterious. Very eye catching.

Taehyung scratches the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. "Thank you... I do enjoy taking photos"

"Ah yes, you took a picture of me the first time we met too." He smiles at him teasingly, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Taehyung seems to blush at that and laugh awkwardly "Right..."

Oh, he didn't mean to make him feel awkward about it! "I put that picture inside my cupboard!" 

"Really?" Taehyung looks at him with wide and hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, I liked it… it's one of my favorites." Something about that picture was very nice, he thinks. Must be because Taehyung is a talented photographer.

Taehyung smiles and looks away, muttering a low 'I'm glad'.

Silence takes over, both of them forgetting their awkwardness from a few days ago, as Taehyung resumes his work and Jimin simply watches on from time to time as he edits the pictures. The pitter patter of rain brings a sort of calm between them. He takes a long sip from his cup and lets out a sigh.

He turns back to Taehyung, who was fidgeting with his mouse pad, and asks, "How long have you been doing this?"

"Oh, I guess… Around 4 years now? Taehyung answers, tapping his chin.

"That's nice! No wonder you're so good at this."

His eyes crinkle as he smiles and thanks him. "What about you Jimin-shi? How long have you been at this…?" He waved his hand around the bakery.

"Hmm…"Jimin thinks back to the bittersweet memories of starting his bakery. He chuckles at them. "I guess around 5 years. Yeah, 5 years since this bakery was opened." he nods to himself. He takes another sip of coffee.

"Wow that's awesome… you must really like baking!" Taehyung sounds genuinely happy for him. It makes Jimin feel proud.

"Yeah… I do…" he smiles softly and glances at him.

They smile for maybe a bit too long at each other. Jimin turns away to look out the window, a little flustered from the extended eye contact. Taehyung silently resumes his work.

They sit quietly, Jimin surprisingly comfortable with his company. It feels nice like this, just sitting here together as the rain pours on outside. He takes one last sip of his coffee and sets down the cup. He looks over to see Taehyung nibbling at his bottom lip in concentration, while his cup of half finished coffee slowly gets cold on the side.

"Your coffee is gonna get cold Taehyung-shi…"

"Ah right…" he takes a sip and puts it down again.

"Wait… Do you actually not drink coffee? I thought you were joking that day."

"Ah haha… No… but I don't hate it!"

"You could have just told me! I'd have made hot chocolate for you instead" Jimin moves to pick up the cup to exchange it with hot chocolate.

"Oh no this is more than enough!" He grabs the cup protectively. "I'll drink it because it's you who made it for me, Jimin-shi!" and he downs it all in one chug. He swallows and shudders slightly, scrunching his eyes shut.

Jimin can't help the loud laughter from taking over him. He starts laughing at how ridiculous the whole scene was. Taehyung joins in, thanking him for making it extra sweet. He feels a warmth bloom in him.

  
  


Pitter… patter… pitter… patter…

  
  


"Umm so… do you have a boyfriend…?" Taehyung carefully asks him after they'd calmed down, eyes on the empty cup in his hand.

Jimin smirks at him, leaning on his arm. "Are you trying to hit on me right now, Kim Taehyung-shi?"

He watches as Taehyung's face rapidly colours pink and he starts to fumble for words. "No no what. Haha…" He turns away embarrassed and shrinks in on himself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

  
  


Jimin feels a little sorry for teasing him. Seems like Taehyung is still not sure how to behave around Jimin ever since he shut him off. "...I'm not dating anyone right now," he starts off and he sees Taehyung glance towards him. "The last time I dated was a few years ago… I'm not sure if I'm ready yet."

Taehyung just nods at him, eyes going back to the empty cup in his hands. He speaks again after a few seconds of silence.

"I'm sorry about that day…"

"Hmm?"

"That day… I think I made you uncomfortable with that question. I should have thought before asking…"

So he really was hung up on that incident.

"It's ok… I tend to get a bit defensive about my family. Sorry I was cold to you…"

"No, it's fine. I understand." he says with a sad lopsided smile.

  
  


He didn't push Jimin to talk, but he feels like he should. Maybe he should try opening up like Hyejin said. He leans back onto the window and sighs. The action catches Taehyung's attention and he turns over.

  
  


"Jungkookie and I got separated when we were young… and I had to fight to get back with him. It… was tough. I don't really like thinking about those days."

Taehyung looks at him for a while, caught off guard by the sudden revelation. He regains composure and says:

"Well… I'm glad you both are together now. Seems like you love each other a lot."

"Yeah…"

That felt… relieving. Strangely, it felt good to open up. He didn't pry Jimin for more information either.

He turns to face him, giving Taehyung the opportunity to speak if he wanted.

Taehyung takes a deep breath and sighs, "My father passed away when I was a baby," he hears Taehyung say. "And my mom remarried a few years later… then Yeonjunie was born." A fond smile stretches across his face as he mentions his little brother. "We didn't change my surname coz it would be a hassle and… mom wanted to keep something of my father as a memory."

Jimin nods, "My condolences…"

"Thank you…"

Taehyung sits back, shoulders slumping as though an unknown burden was lifted off. Jimin lets out a long satisfied breath.

The atmosphere feels relaxed now. The rain isn't as loud anymore. Jimin goes back to watching it.

Warm light from the streetlights is falling in and Jimin watches how it makes the rain drops on the window shine. He watches as they race down the glass. He brings up his finger and traces their path, a strange feeling of awe and serenity taking over.

  
  
  


"Can I take a picture of you?"

  
  
  


Jimin looks over to see Taehyung already holding out his Polaroid camera.

"You want to take a picture of me? Again?" He asks, amused.

"It's just that… You look very beautiful right now…you know, with the lighting from outside and all." his voice trails off to a quiet mumble as his cheeks start to flush again, trying to hide behind his camera. Jimin feels his cheeks mirror the reaction.

"… Thanks." He feels so shy. A giggle escapes his lips. "What… what do I do?"

"Just do what you were just doing right now"

"Watching the rain?"

Jimin can tell that he's looking through his camera to avoid eye contact. "Yeah"

Jimin goes back to leaning towards the window, trying his best to look candid as he watches the rain. He traces the water drops once more to look his best for the picture. He hears a click. He leans closer to look at the developing photo.

It looks refreshing. The warm streetlight falling on his face and the dim indoor lights make it look very dreamy. Jimin finds that he likes this picture better than the last one.

  
  


Taehyung hands him the picture with both hands, exaggeratedly. "Here's your picture, sir!"

Jimin takes the photo and decides to go along with it. "Thank you. How much would it be?" He pats himself, pretending to search for his wallet.

"Oh no, it's already been paid for!" He taps the coffee mug.

"You don't even like coffee!"

"I like you-your coffee!"

Jimin laughs at his silly antiques, a bit of a fondness in his chest. He tries ignoring it but it's getting hard to. He lets it be for now.

"Will you keep this inside your cupboard too?" He hears him ask. Jimin looks at the photo and looks back at Taehyung. His eyes trail across his face, taking in all his features. The shine in his eyes, the mole on his nose, the gentle smile on his lips. He quickly looks back up to his eyes, giving him a smile of his own.

"Hmm I guess I will…"

  
  


It's quiet again. Awfully quiet. Has the rain stopped? Both of them turn to look out the window. Indeed, the storm had gone down to a weak drizzle, finally starting to feel satisfied. They look back at each other.

"The rain seems to have slowed down…" Taehyung says. He sounds a bit disappointed.

Jimin understands. "Yeah…"

"I'll be off then?" He asks, sounding uncertain.

What should he say? Should he make him stay longer? But his little brother might be waiting. He looks down at his fiddling hands. "Ok…"

Taehyung packs up his bag and picks up his umbrella. "Thank you again." he says, standing at the door. Jimin walks over.

"See you tomorrow, Taehyung-shi?" He suddenly feels the need to make sure he'll see him again. The past few days have been so dull.

"Taehyung is just fine."

His heart does a flip. "A-Alright then, see you tomorrow, Taehyung?

"See you tomorrow, Jimin-shi-"

"Jimin…just Jimin" he's just returning the sentiment. There's no need for his heart to race, is there?

He hears a distant thunder.

"Oh! Better get home before it starts to rain again!" He says mostly to distract himself from his thoughts.

"Yes, See you tomorrow, Jimin…" Jimin snaps his eyes up to see Taehyung smiling at him so sweetly, he can't help but reflect it. His heart feels like it's inflating, oh god.

Taehyung walks out the door, waving at him and Jimin stands there waving back until he can't see him anymore. The chill in the atmosphere does nothing to calm his burning cheeks. When he is out of sight, Jimin gently closes the door and locks it. He clutches at his chest, willing his heart to calm down. What's gotten into him, damnit?

  
  


He walks back upstairs.

  
  


He looks into Jungkook's room to see that he's still studying. Jimin concludes that he needs a hug. He makes his way over and rests his chin on his shoulder, hugging him from behind. 

Jungkook startles a little but relaxes into the hug. He turns to him, curious at the sudden display of affection, "What's up?"

"Nothing… Just wanted to hug my baby brother"

Jungkook hums and let's him hug. "Was someone with you downstairs?" He asks after a while.

"Taehyung…" he says softly. 

"Oh?" Jungkook turns toward him, voice full of curiosity and mischief. Jimin hums happily, not bothering about the teasing tone. "Oh you sound happy?" He hears Jungkook say.

"I talked to him about stuff"

"Then you'll be dating soon?"

Jimin smacks him on the head. "Why are you so invested in our relationship?"

"Oh 'our' relationship? I see, you're fast…!" He looks way too smug and Jimin can feel the embarrassment rising.

"Oh my god, stop teasing me"

"You've been single for years, hyung. Let me have this." he says, pinching Jimin's burning cheeks.

  
  


'Relationship, huh?' Jimin looks at the picture in his hand, a memory of the moment they shared not too long ago. He covers his red face as Jungkook laughs at him. 'That's so weird to think about.'

  
  


\-----*-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! Why is Jimin so hesitant? I hope it translated well enough into writing!!


	3. Pinks and Reds

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

Jimin groggily turns around and switches off the alarm clock.

4:00am.

'Time to get started' he thinks, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. He gets up and stares at the wall in front of him for a while, willing himself to wake up.

After a few minutes of dozing off and startling awake, he decides to get off his bed. He folds the blanket, grabs a towel and goes into the bathroom. He takes a quick bath and stands in front of his cupboard, done with skincare and trying to decide on what he wants to wear today.

'I think I'll wear something cute.' he takes out a soft peach shirt and jeans. He pulls them over himself and lets out a huff of satisfaction. The outfit makes his recently re-dyed hair look even brighter.

Jimin is about to close his cupboard when he catches a glimpse of the two polaroids stuck inside.

A picture of him posing with the cake and a picture of him looking out at the rain.

A faint smile takes over his lips as his thoughts are immediately occupied by the photographer.

Taehyung has been flirting a lot lately. It's getting so obvious that his co-workers are keeping a scoreboard, for every time he makes Jimin blush.

And Jimin? He's starting to enjoy the flirting. He flirts back too, because Taehyung's face is so priceless when he's caught off guard.

Now, don't get him wrong. He just likes the cheesy banter, that's all. It's not like he likes Taehyung…right?

No, he just likes the rush of getting hit on and flirted with. It's been a while anyway. He brushes imaginary dust off his shirt.

He decides to get going when he sees his favourite lip tint toppled over. He picks it up.

'Hmm… I kinda wanna put it on'. He opens it and applies the pink liquid over his lips. He leans away from the mirror to observe his work.

'Maybe a bit of eyeshadow will look good' he pulls out a palette and dabs the pink powder on his lids. He turns his face from side to side and decides that it's good enough.

"You're getting dressed today…" Jungkook, who had just walked in to make sure Jimin was awake, eyes him curiously.

"Yeah, I felt cute today. Thought I'd put on some makeup!" He gestures to Jungkook, offering him the palette if he wants to put some on too.

"Hmm…" Jungkook ignores the offer, a tone in his voice. "You look good. Wait hold on…"

Jimin hides the palette behind him. "What?"

"HYUNG THAT'S MINE!! I THOUGHT I LOST IT-" he lurches at Jimin to grab the palette.

"No, you idiot! This one's mine…!! You lost yours!"

"GIVE IT BACK…!!"

"OUT OF MY ROOM…!"

\-----

After much dodging, Jimin gives up and hands over the stolen palette. He goes over and activates the yeast while Jungkook gets the equipment ready for the day.

Wheein and Hyejin arrive for work after a few minutes. Jimin excuses himself and grabs his breakfast. He sends a grumpy Jungkook off to college and returns back inside.

"Hmm… You're all dressed up." Hyejin says while kneading the dough.

"I suppose I am." Jimin mumbles with his mouth full of his omelet. He's taken a break to eat breakfast while the other two continue their work.

"Is there a reason behind getting all pretty?" Wheein ponders as she whisks the cream away.

He swallows down his food. "It's cuz I felt like it, nothing else."

"Nothing else? Hmm I see…"

"Yeah yeah, get on with the dough. The client shouldn't wait." Why are they giving him that look? He just likes makeup.

"KIM TAEHYUNG!" He hears Wheein shout and almost drops his plate in his haste to look for the mentioned person.

"Where-" there's no one there. Wheein walks over to high-five Hyejin.

"Haha very funny." He feels his face burn with embarrassment.

"Aww, that blush completes the look Jimin-shi. Maybe you should put some on!"

"Argh!" 

The two just laugh at his annoyed expression and get back to work.

\-----

It's lunch time, Wheein and Hyejin excuse themselves to go have lunch outside while Jimin stays in. Jungkook would be here soon with takeout for the both of them.

Like clockwork, Jimin hears the bell of the entrance door chime, signalling that Jungkook arrived.

"Jungkookie, right on time. I was starting to get hungry."

"Hmph!"

"What? Are you still angry about this morning?" He pouts at him to try and look innocent again.

"Here." Jungkook hands him something. Jimin takes it and sees that it's the same palette from the morning, only it looks new. "I bought you one so that you won't steal from me." 

"Aww that's so sweet of you!" He goes to pinch his cheek while Jungkook tries to dodge in vain.

"Yeah, yeah this is your early birthday gift. Don't expect anything else from me later." He shrugs off his college bag and picks up the takeout. "I'll go get lunch ready then. Jin hyung sent some new recipe today."

He scurries upstairs leaving Jimin smiling at him. He opens up the palette and touches up his makeup. He's really feeling himself today.

He's admiring himself in the mirror of the palette when he hears a knock. Is the front door locked? He turns and lets out a gasp.

"Taehyung! Hi..." The air whooshes out of his lungs at the sight of the man. But he isn't coming in. He's… pointing down? Oh that's a leash in his hand! Yeontan is with him!

Jimin quickly shoves the palette into his apron pocket and walks over to open the door.

Sure enough, Yeontan was right there, wagging his little tail at him and asking to be picked up. He ignores Taehyung eyeing him and scoops Yeontan into his arms and coos at him.

"Why, hi there little guy!" He leans away, giggling as the dog tries to lick his face. "Hi baby!"

"Hi to you too, cutie" Taehyung takes a step forward, trying to turn Jimin's attention towards him, almost as if jealous of his own dog.

Jimin feels a smirk forming on his lips.

"It's an odd time to go for a walk." He lets Yeontan down and picks a fallen leaf off of Taehyung's shirt. He feels his eyes follow him as he takes the leaf and blows it away. He turns back to Taehyung and finds that his eyes are still fixed on his lips.

Interesting.

Taehyung clears his throat and replies, "It's an off day for me and I felt like seeing a certain someone. Figured I'd bring Tannie along since he likes them so much." Taehyung puts his hands in his pocket and tilts his head, donning a smirk of his own.

"I see… Did you meet them yet?"

"Hmm… let me see. I think so, yes" he scratches his chin and shrugs. Jimin chuckles, a heady feeling starting to take over as Taehyung smiles at him.

Yeontan seems to have found something interesting on the floor as he sniffs away, tugging at the leash in Taehyung's hand. But Taehyung seems to be unbothered by it, too busy with his current task of blatantly checking Jimin out.

Jimin leans back teasingly, "See something you like?"

Taehyung hums thoughtfully. "Yeah, I do…"

"You do?" Well, he didn't expect that. Didn't really have a comeback planned either. Maybe he just went blank because of how unashamed Taehyung sounded.

Taehyung eyes him up and down again. A chill runs up Jimin's spine at the intensity of it, anticipation spiking as he sees him open his mouth to say,

"Pink"

"What?"

"Pink. You know, I'm starting to like it a lot these days. It's becoming my favourite colour."

Jimin knows his face is rapidly colouring into the said colour and tries his damn best to hold back his giggles.

"Yes! That exact colour…" Taehyung leans forward and pokes Jimin's cheek.

Jimin covers his face as he throws his head back in laughter.

"Wow Jimin, if you smile at me like that again I swear my heart will burst." Taehyung dramatically proclaims with a hand over his heart.

At that, Jimin decides to control his laughter, fold his arms behind him and step forward. Eyes softening, he flashes him his best smile. "Did it burst?"

Taehyung seems to be caught off guard. His goofy smile slowly starts to fade. It makes Jimin suddenly aware of the lack of distance between them.

That is the fastest he's seen Taehyung's face go red. Maybe this was too much. Maybe Jimin did too much, moved too fast. Oh no, he's looking at his lips now! Should he move away? Would it be rude to-

*BOOOMM*

They jump apart, startled by the loud noise.

"What was that?!"

"Well, that was definitely not my heart, not that it didn't burst a while ago…"

"Oh shut up…" Jimin shoves him lightly. He hears loud footsteps running towards them.

Jungkook bursts out and screams, "THE MICROWAVE IS ON FIRE!!"

"WHAT?!!"

\-----

The fire had been put out and the electricity was back and working. The bakery still smelt of burnt plastic. The microwave lay discarded in a corner.

Jimin and Jungkook are bowing at Taehyung as Wheein and Hyejin look on in confusion.

"Thank you so much for staying until the others got here, Taehyung. I have no clue how I could have handled that without someone supervising the bakery." Jimin says as he bows in apology.

Taehyung shakes his head. "I didn't do anything honestly. I just sat here with Tannie and told people to come back later." He lifts up Yeontan who barks in agreement.

"But still, we wasted your time on an off day. Please, accept these mochis as an apology!" Jungkook holds out a package in front of him. "It's my mistake, I should have known that the container was not microwavable. So please!"

"What just happened?" Wheein chimes in absolutely confused. At the same moment, more customers walk in.

Jimin grabs the bag of mochis and drags Taehyung outside to avoid any more chaos. The others quickly get back to work, saving any questions for later.

They get outside and Jimin shivers as a gust of wind blows at them both. Yeontan hops off of Taehyung's arms and tugs at his owner to resume the walk. Jimin turns toward Taehyung and shoves the bag into his palm before the pup can pull him away.

"Take it, I insist"

"Really Jimin, I didn't do anything-"

"I keep making you work for free around the bakery! Consider this as compensation for that time you destroyed the cake!" he tries to make up a random reason.

Taehyung shakes his head in confusion, still trying his best to stop Yeontan from running. "That doesn't even make any sense-"

Jimin pouts his lips and widens his eyes. "I'll be sad if you don't take it…"

That seems to do the trick. Taehyung's gaze drops from his eyes to his lips as he stutters to a stop. He covers his eyes with his arm and whines. "Noo… Jiminnn…!"

"Hmm?" He prods.

"Fine! But this is the last time you'll be giving me free stuff, ok?" he waves a finger at him and Jimin nods innocently.

Taehyung brings the same hand to his cheek and gives it the softest pinch and tug. Jimin's cheeks burn for an entirely different reason. "I can't really say no to your cute face, you know?"

Jimin bites his lip to control the wide smile from taking over as he gives him the bag of goodies. Taehyung waves back as he finally let's Yeontan drag him away. Hmm… why does he have a feeling he's forgetting something?

He walks back into the bakery and goes inside to where the others are working.

His fingers graze over his cheek where Taehyung had ever so slightly pinched. 

He can hear the others whisper around him, so he turns to them with what he hopes is a poker face.

"That's a lot of blush you put on, Jimin-shi. Didn't think you'd take my advice so seriously!" Wheein shoots.

He hides himself as the smile he had been controlling breaks out, much to the amusement of his co-workers. 

What has gotten into him lately?

\-----

Today started off like any normal day. That's just how it is in the bakery. A fixed routine and strict habits.

But today is special for Jimin. It's special because it's his birthday!

Some may say that it's just like any normal day. Jimin understands. He runs a bakery afterall. But the said bakery also provides cakes for birthdays.

He likes to think birthdays are the perfect days to express your appreciation for that person or even for yourself. Of course, you can do that any day. But that wouldn't give him business now, would it?

Still, birthdays are quite important for Jimin. And no matter how normal the day goes by, he'll always feel like it's special.

After getting a warm hug and several wishes from Jungkook (and a reminder that he had already given him his birthday gift), he sends him off to college. A normal but special start for the day.

"Happy Birthday, Mochi boss!" He hears as his loud coworkers enter the bakery. Wheein goes in for a hug which Jimin happily accepts.

"Thank you, Wheein!" He pats her on the back and let's go. He whines as Wheein pinches his cheek painfully.

Hyejin also gives him a hug. "Happy birthday Jimin-shi… will you be giving us a raise?"

"Thank you, Hyejin. I will not be!" He deadpans.

"Hmph. I didn't plan on giving you my beer anyway." She fake sulks and hides away the bag in her hand.

Jimin laughs mockingly "You think you can get me drunk and sneak in a raise? Try something that'll work, lightweights!"

He turns away snickering, pretending to ignore Wheein's screams demanding to know who he just called a lightweight.

Today is going just as lovely as he expected.

\-----

Although today was going just like any other birthday, he really hoped Taehyung would show up. It would be nice if he did.

Jimin idly drummed his fingers on the counter as he watched the people outside, trying to find a familiar face. The sun was setting and the pretty man would usually show up in a while.

"Hey birthday boy, whatchu lookin at?"

"Nothing… just people watching." Jimin really isn't in the mood for Wheein's teasing today.

"Wheein, you know he's looking for his special man." Why, Hyejin just had to join in too.

"Haha sure. Go ahead and tease me."

"Oh my god, Hyejin!! He's not denying it anymore!"

Jimin covers his ears as the duo squeal and turns back to watch the people strolling outside, the orange sun slowly traveling down to the west.

\-----

Closing time. Not a trace of the man.

Jimin huffs, a little disappointed. Oh well, he's probably busy with another big project again. He blows at his bangs and continues to clean the counter.

Hyejin asks, "Still waiting for him?" as she mops the area clean.

"Yeah… Kinda. He's probably gotten busy though. It's fine." He shrugs.

He notices Jungkook looking worriedly at him from the tables so he shakes his head at him to assure it's alright. Jungkook smiles at him and goes back to typing on his phone.

"Jungkook, are you free? I need some help inside" he hears Wheein shout from inside.

"Oh? Yeah yeah sure, I'm coming." Jungkook almost walks into a wall, eyes still on the phone as he makes his way in. Who is he texting from so long?

"Cheer up Jimin-shi. He'll visit tomorrow!" Hyejin gives him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and continues to mop away.

"Hmm yeah."

"Why haven't you exchanged numbers yet, Jimin-shi?"

Jimin wonders why it hadn't crossed his mind until now.

After finally finishing up with cleaning, Wheein calls them all over to have a drink that she and Hyejin had bought for Jimin. They lazily make their way over to one of the tables.

Jimin stretches, sighing in satisfaction as his bones crack. It seems like a good end to the day afterall.

He sees Jungkook still on his phone, typing away with a scrunched up face. Did his brother start dating someone? He'll need to have a talk with him after this.

He's about to sit down when the bakery entrance SLAMS open.

Taehyung runs in, completely out of breath.

"Jimin… Huff… I just… found out it's your birthday." he wheezes leaning on his knees. He looks like he's still in his outfit of the day which has gotten a tad bit wrinkled and disheveled. And sweaty. Dear lord, did he run all the way here?

Jimin is too dumbstruck to speak.

Getting no response, Taehyung looks up at him, face red from exertion and opens his mouth to take a deep breath. For some reason, Jimin's own breath hitches.

He then proceeds to blabber. "I'm sorry. No shops were open and I couldn't find any good gifts. And all the flowers were gone in the shop so I could get you just this one. I would have gotten you a better one if I knew sooner."

He walks up to Jimin who's still looking at him with an open mouth and hands him a rose. He accepts it mindlessly.

It takes a while for Jimin to realise that he needs to say something and not just stare at Taehyung as he regains his breathing. Or at that bead of sweat that trails over his cheekbone and onto his neck-

He blinks out of his thoughts and looks down at the rose. A single coral rose neatly arranged in a decorative sheet. The colour almost matches Taehyung's completely flushed face, he thinks. A smile creeps onto his lips.

"Thank you… oh my god." He says, a laugh of disbelief puffing out of his chest 

Taehyung seems bashful all of a sudden. He rubs the back of his neck and looks at his feet. "I know it's not much. I just grabbed the flower coz it reminded me of you."

"I love it… Thank you so much." He brings the flower to his lips in an attempt to hide his smile and looks up at him.

"I'm glad…" Taehyung says, almost in a whisper. Jimin finds that he can't look him in the eyes anymore. There was something intense about his gaze. Jimin feels shy. He averts his gaze back to the beautiful flower and smiles to himself.

"So pretty." He hears Taehyung say. Jimin wishes he could shrink and hide inside the rose forever. "I would have taken a picture but I left my Polaroid at home…" 

"That's ok… thank you for coming all the way here just to wish me."

"Of course, anything for you. Happy Birthday…" Jimin looks up at him again to see a big smile adorning his face. His heart does a flip. He finds that he doesn't mind anymore.

Someone clears their throat noisily and Jimin feels like firing them on the spot.

Taehyung chuckles awkwardly and turns toward the others. Jimin feels a bit annoyed that his eyes aren't on him anymore.

"I'll be off then haha… wouldn't wanna disturb while you're closing up." He backs away ungracefully, bumping into tables and chairs. Jimin finds it adorable. He gets to the door and rushes out with a "Bye" leaving Jimin laughing fondly.

He inhales a deep breath, eyes landing on the rose again.

"Wow, hyung. 'Anything for you', huh?" Ugh. There they go again.

"He gave you a rose too!! Oh my god Jimin did he just propose to you?" Where did she get that from?!

"Don't be silly, it's a birthday gift." He tries to rationalise.

"Roses have meanings!! Jungkook, check for the meaning, quick!"

"He just said he grabbed it cuz it reminded him of me!" He whines to no avail. Wheein and Jungkook are in their own world.

Hyejin elbows him on the side. "How cheesy…! Oh, you forgot to exchange numbers today too…"

"It says coral roses signify desire!" Jungkook announces to the others.

"Oh my god he wants to eat you up Jimin!"

"HE DOESN'T WANT TO EAT ME UP!"

\-----

Later on, as the brothers get ready to head to bed:

"Hyung! Yeonjun texted..."

"Hmm? Oh did Taehyung get home alright?"

"Yeah… He also says that there were red roses in the shop but Taehyung hyung was too shy to give them to you"

"Ah…"

"You know what that means?"

"...That he lied to me…?"

"Stop acting innocent, you're still looking at that rose like a love sick- AAAH…!! STOP THROWING SHIT AT ME"

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello... Sorry for such a late update TwT Things got a bit busy at home. This chapter isn't as long as the previous ones coz I felt like the ending was a good place to stop. I hope you like it! Lemme know what you think so far!

**Author's Note:**

> If you've read till the end, thank you so much! Please let me know what you think!! I'll try my best to update the next chapters soon!


End file.
